In A New Light
by OctoberWind16
Summary: Toph is so curious about Zuko, but Zuko isn't so curious about her. He ignores the girl until years later, when he sees her in a new light and feels like he finally needs her. But he doesn't know if she's done needing him.
1. Chapter 1

Toph was blind, but that didn't mean she was incapable of feeling. She felt stronger than the rest of the group did and had a sense of appreciation for things she could feel with her sense of touch. There was one person she was a bit curious towards over because of the lack of being able to really get a sense of this person due to the person being sort of "untouchable". He was around the group so much now, but Toph felt like she rarely knew who he really was. She was a bit piqued that Zuko made himself unreachable. Especially since everybody had such _great_ adventures with him. Not only did he make himself unreachable, but his bending was also untouchable. Toph had felt earth, water, obviously air, but never could she touch fire. It intrigued her, but just as much scared her. She did have a short experience with fire coming from Zuko, and she used that to squirm her way into knowing him.

"So, Hothead. When am I going to get my pay back for you burning me?" Toph asked while teasingly hitting her fist against her palm.

"Oh, Toph. Look, I said I was sorry already."

"Sorry isn't gonna cut it, Princess."

"Could you quit it with the nicknames?" Zuko asked, obviously not yet accustomed to Toph's ways.

"Geez, what's got you so worked up?" She plopped down beside him and sniffed the air. "Is that tea?"

"Yeah, would you like some?" Zuko remembered he had to be nice to the girl since he was still assaulted by Katara to be kinder.

"Sure." As Toph took a sip of the tea Zuko gave her, she spat it out and quickly remarked, "Bleh! You sure didn't get your tea skills from Iroh." Zuko glared at her but gave up once he realized she could not see and sighed. Toph relaxed and stretched out her legs. "You're not getting off that easy, Zuko. My feet still hurt!" She shoved her foot into his face, disgusting and shocking Zuko. He placed his finger on her ankle and slowly lowered her leg down again.

"Toph, there's nothing there except for your dirt."

"I'm sorry, too low class for your Highness?" She had a wide smirk at successfully annoying Zuko. "I'm just kidding, Zuko, loosen up. You're more uptight than Katara was."

"Sorry, Toph."

"It's okay. I know you have to leave soon to the Fire Nation again and you're nervous about it."

"You don't know. Ever since I've become Fire Lord the pressure is too much."

"You've always got us to help you out," she said as she punched him in the shoulder.

"Thanks, Toph." Zuko rubbed his shoulder. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Hit me." Toph laughed and hit him once again.

"Hey!"

"You said to hit you, Zuko."

"I was asking a question," Zuko began raising his voice a little, growing impatient.

"Didn't I already tell you? It's how I show affection."

"Why don't you do something less violent, maybe people would warm up to you more-." Zuko barely had a moment to react as Toph bended a small platform underneath Zuko to make him jump in the air a bit. First irritated, Zuko lightened up as he heard her chuckle at his reactions.

"I don't need people to warm up to me. I've got everything I need, and if someone doesn't want to talk to me because I'm a little tough, that's their fault. I think you're a good guy, and I'm sorry if I come off as a little violent, but that's the way I am."

"I understand. I can be somewhat like that too."

"Oh, I know, Hothead... Zuko, what does fire feel like?" She asked timidly.

"Huh?" He impulsively lit a small flame. Toph, detecting its warmth, turned her eyes to the source. "Well, it's warm." Toph gave him a while to collect his thoughts and come up with other speculations. "It's sort of like water, it flows, but it has it's own rhythm. Like it's dancing to the crackling." She was so used to everyone describing fire as an aggressive, wild thing. "I used to be able to firebend through my anger, and when I came to help Aang, I no longer had that anger to drive me. So, I had to find a different source to fuel me."

"And then I suggested you use the original source!" Toph chirped.

"Yeah, I did use the original source. Fire is life," Zuko said while staring into the small flame in his hands. "A sun inside of you."

"Wow. I've never heard anybody describe firebending like that." Extinguishing the flame, Zuko continued his story.

"My ancestors have caused a lot of harm to innocent people using fire. I have to set things right."

"Don't tell anyone, Zuko, but I admire you."

"Me?" Zuko asked, bewildered. "I chased the Avatar down! How could you admire me?"

"You did that because of your father. If you'd had a choice, I don't think you would have chased us down. Besides, you're trying to make up for that now. And that takes guts, so, you're alright in my book, Zuko." Toph smiled.

"What happened to the nicknames?"

"Oh, you prefer the nicknames? Alright, Princess, whatever you say!" She laughed at the tense Zuko.

"You're lucky you're small," he said through gritted teeth. This made Toph rise from her seat, arms on her hips, and lean over the now intimidated Zuko.

"What? I'm small? So what if I'm small! That doesn't stop me from kicking your butt! I can do everything you can do, Zuko, being small doesn't disable me from anything! So doesn't being blind, if that's why you feel like you have to be such a saint to me. I'm just as capable, if not more. I'm tired of having to prove myself to people like you that think I'm so helpless, because I'm not. If you wanna say something to me, or do something to me, but you don't because you think I'm disabled for being too small or being blind, then think again! Do whatever it is you want to do, I won't keep it against you because I'm a 'helpless, defenseless, little blind girl'." Zuko was speechless at the moment as he did not expect her burst.

"I'm sorry, Toph, but no." This boiled her anger even more.

"One day, Zuko, I'm going to grow, and I'm not going to be so little anymore. Then I won't feel so bad for letting people think you got your butt kicked by a little girl." And with that, she stormed off. Zuko had never seen her so angry before. And, admittedly, he always thought of her as a little disadvantaged despite her earthbending skills. But now, he began to see her a new light. She wasn't so small and defenseless, she could speak for herself and had the power to back up those words. He wanted to apologize, but never seemed to get the opportunity to do so.


	2. Chapter 2

Truth be told, Zuko hadn't seen the group for several years. He had seen Aang a couple times, but nothing to the point where they could catch up. The last time they'd met, Aang proposed constructing a place where all nations could unite and live as one. After Iroh's passing, Zuko had no one else to comfort in. His advisers were all there, but he needed somebody who could really understand the hardship of his background. Mai grew distant, they'd had multiple fights and she didn't seem to be able to hold up the life of being committed to a Fire Lord. And so, out of his desperation, Zuko took a trip to see the small girl he remembered. She too knew the hardships of living up to a name of a high class family. So, against his advisers wishes, he traveled to the Earth Kingdom in search of her.

Zuko didn't really know what he was looking for in her. Inside the ship as the Earth Kingdom began to get into focus, he started regretting himself.

"What was I thinking?" He asked as he slammed his forehead on one of the posts of the ship.

"Everything okay, Fire Lord Zuko?"

"Yes, yes, everything is okay. Please, I'd like to think in private."

"Of course, Fire Lord Zuko." Alone, Zuko kept banging his head up against the post. He didn't even let her know he was visiting.

"What did I expect? I walk into her house, say 'Hi, Toph! Long time no see.' and she throws every furniture she has at me!" He continued his head bashing. "Stupid, stupid, stupid!" He rubbed his red forehead and tried regaining himself. "Okay... Okay. Maybe it won't be so bad. I'll offer her some tea like Uncle used to and she'll calm down... I wish Uncle was here." Another reason why he'd chosen the earthbending girl was because of his uncle. Iroh's absence made the job of being Fire Lord more lonesome, and Zuko and Toph both held a connection to the jolly man. More than the rest of the group, that is. And maybe by seeing her, he could feel some sort of Iroh wisdom in her. He only figured this was the stupidest idea he'd had since becoming Fire Lord.

"Maybe she's grown up. Maybe she's a respectable, polite Earth Kingdom lady now." Zuko tried to picture the image in his head but grunted instead. "Are you stupid? Of course that hasn't happened!" The rest of the morning went on like this until his ship came to port and it was time for him to depart to her home. He couldn't believe he, the Fire Lord, was actually scared to meet a small Earth bending girl.


	3. Chapter 3

As Zuko approached her door, he straightened himself out and mustered his bravery. He had nothing to be ashamed of, he told himself. He knocked on the door. No response. After two more knocks, a lady opened the door. She seemed very petite in weight but average height. Her black hair was put up into a small bun and was adorned with ornaments, her face was powdered, she stood straight, and wore a light green traditional Earth Kingdom dress.

"Toph?" Zuko asked, bewildered.

"Fire Lord Zuko! No, no, Lady Toph is in her bedroom. Please, come in!" A sigh of relief overtook Zuko, but he still shuddered at the sudden shock. He turned to look at his guards and motioned for them to leave. Zuko entered and took a moment to look around at everything. "Please sit down, Fire Lord Zuko, I'll call Lady Toph in to meet you." She seemed awfully jittery. Toph's house wasn't anything special. It was modest, but still contained hints of royalty. It was apparent Toph didn't care so much about furnishing her house.

"Fire Lord Zuko." Zuko jumped and looked up. Leaning against the hallway wall was a tall young woman. Her arms were crossed but she had a wide smirk across her face.

"Toph?" He asked again, unsure of himself. The girl laughed at his uncertainty.

"Have I changed that much, Princess?" She was, undoubtedly, the Toph he remembered. Her appearance, although, had definitely changed. She wasn't as petite as the previous woman at the door, but she was thin. She had muscles, not overly burly, she still seemed feminine, but they were definitely there. Her hair was down, for once, and was a thick mess. But most of all, she was tall. Almost as tall as him. This shocked him most of all. He couldn't help but be a little bit happy that she didn't change so much, there was still a remnant of the past.

"Wow." She raised a brow and stood straight.

"Wow, what?" She asked skeptically. This released a nervous laugh from Zuko.

"You're... you've... changed." Toph laughed and walked closer to him as Zuko stood to properly greet her. He offered his hand to her. "Nice to see you again, Lady Toph." A small moment of silence passed them, when quickly Toph trapped him in a tight hug.

"Nice to see you too, Zuko." Zuko took a minute to calm his shock before he returned the hug. She released him and smiled up at him. Her eyes were still that foggy light green, those didn't change over time. "So, Zuko, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Uh..." He never thought through that question. He was so prepared for a raging Toph, he never really expected this. "I was just visiting." He realized how lame it sounded when it came out of his mouth.

"You couldn't have let me known you were coming?" She asked, obviously a little irritated. "I could've... cleaned a little." Toph said, then realized how lame that was too, because she wouldn't have, in truth, 'cleaned' anything at all. They both stood there a little awkwardly.

"No... I uh... it was sort of last minute," he said while rubbing the back of his head.

"Well, that's fine, I guess," she said.

"Who was that woman?"

"Huh? Oh, that's Yun. She keeps me company here. I need somebody to bully around every now and then." Zuko felt a sudden rush of sympathy for the poor Yun.

"She seemed sort of jumpy."

"Yeah, well, I keep her on her toes," Toph remarked with a smirk. "Would you like a tour?"

"Sure." Zuko followed Toph along her house, speculating things both about her house, and Toph herself.


	4. Chapter 4

"And this is the backyard." Toph announced, her arms stretched out. She certainly had a wide expanse of outdoors.

"Wow, it's bigger than your house," Zuko marveled. Toph laughed.

"Let's just say indoors doesn't really cut it for me." She bended two seats for Zuko and herself.

"Toph, I was sort of lying when I said I just came to visit," Zuko confessed while taking a seat.

"I know."

"You know?"

"I can tell when people are lying, Zuko. It's a gift." She took her seat as well. "So what did you really come her for then, Fire Lord Zuko." It was weird to have Toph call him that. He was always used to her calling him names teasingly, but now this time, her voice sounded serious. It sounded professional.

"Since Iroh passed, there's no one in the palace I can really talk to. At least no one that really understands. Nobody else in the group would either, they don't understand the hardships of having a family of royalty and the pressures, except for you. At least, I think so. Maybe it was a mistake to come here after all." A tinge of hurt took over Toph's face, but she quickly dismissed it.

"Well, Zuko, I don't know how it feels like to be Fire Lord. I haven't really been 'living up' to my family name either-."

"I knew this was a mistake," Zuko interrupted, shaking his head.

"But I did once. When I was little, I had to go through the customs of being a part of a family of prestige. Yun isn't just a roommate either. She's here mostly because of my parents. It eases their mind that one of their servants is here watching after me. And I'm always stopped by people on the streets that expect me to be the proper Toph that I'm not. So I have some knowledge about what you're going through. But don't expect too much, Zuko, because nobody knows what it feels like to be Fire Lord right now, except for you."

"My father does." Zuko answered slowly.

"Your father was a horrible man, don't even think about it." She answered assuredly. "I may not hold the answers you need about being a good Fire Lord, but I can distract you from it for awhile."

"Huh?" Zuko asked. Before he knew it, he was on the ground, his seat gone. Toph towered over him, evil intent glistening in her eyes and grin.

"I told you I'd grow." Zuko gulped and regretted what he'd thought about her a long time ago.


	5. Chapter 5

"Ow! Okay, Toph, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Maybe if you say it 100 more times I'll forgive you!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

"Hahaha! Ninety-seven more times, Fire Lord!"

"Toph!"

"Oof!" He had her pinned down now after Toph kicked Zuko's butt, thoroughly. He felt he had to, or there would be no Fire Lord left of him. He'd felt like a coward, a reduced version of the Fire Lord he was before that. Toph cackled some more. "How does it feel like getting your butt kicked by a little blind girl?"

"You're not little anymore." Toph quieted down a little.

"Yeah, well, you still got your butt handed to you." She said as she squirmed in his grip.

"...Okay, you got your revenge. No more, okay?" She frowned and squirmed some more. "Okay?"

"No more." He set her free and stood up, but still heard her faintly whisper. "For now." He shot her a look, forgetting, once again, that she could not see. She laughed, though, as if knowing he did. "You know what, Zuko, you haven't changed."

"Huh?"

"You're still the same as you were back in the days when you were only a Princess." She remarked, sitting down on the ground. Zuko sat down with her, ashamed of having to prove her wrong.

"Actually, Toph, I've changed a lot. I haven't been the respectable Fire Lord everyone expects me to be. I've gotten so tangled in all the mess, I've become so uptight. Mai and I have been getting in a lot more frequent fights. It's not the same, she's growing impatient with me, and I'm afraid she's going to leave me. I don't want her to, but I do at the same time, I just can't help myself when I'm in the palace. Everything is wrong there."

"You're not happy?"

"No." She couldn't help but laugh, offending Zuko before she explained herself.

"So you came to me?" He scratched the back of his head.

"I guess so. I didn't know where else to go. I thought I was going to go crazy." Toph wiggled her toes and continued, timidly.

"Truth is, I've been feeling pretty lonely, too. Yun is great to mess around with, but I miss those days we used to have as a group. I can't stand staying in one place anymore. You can't go back after traveling the world with the Avatar."

"...You're right. I learned more about myself than I ever did when I was traveling with the Avatar. I wish I'd only realized it sooner, I wouldn't have caused so much heartache to Uncle."

"I miss Iroh."

"I do too, Toph." Zuko looked up at the sun that was starting to set.

"I think he's proud." Toph leaned back on her hands and stretched out her legs.

"What?"

"Iroh. I think he's proud of you for coming here."

"Why?"

"Because even though people at the palace probably didn't want you to come here, you did. You knew when you'd had enough. It's okay to take a little break every now and then." Zuko nodded, staying quiet and thinking about Iroh.

"Zuko..."

"Yeah?"

"I never got to see you." Zuko was confused. She never got to see anybody.

"What do you mean?"

"Before you joined the group, everyone described you as a mean firebender with a big scar on his face." Zuko furrowed his brows slightly but touched his scar. "I always wanted to know what you looked like, especially with that scar on your face." Toph sat up.

"You don't want to, Toph. Trust me." Zuko said, his voice becoming quieter.

"Why?"

"I'm a monster," he responded, his voice hoarse.


	6. Chapter 6

Toph scooted closer over to Zuko, facing him now. She'd changed so much, Zuko thought, and he felt ashamed for putting his burdens on her.

"I've done so many bad things in my life. I've hurt families, burned villages, all for Aang. All because of this scar."

"You remember what you told me? About fire?" Zuko shook his head no.

"No."

"You told me fire dances to it's own music, it's own crackling. You told me fire is life."

"The sun inside of you," Zuko recalled.

"Maybe your scar started you to the path of who you are now, of setting things right. It started your new life as Fire Lord and keeping peace in the world." Zuko was a bit shocked at the girl's view. Maybe that's how she'd felt when he described fire to her differently than everyone else.

"You almost sound like Iroh." This produced a small laugh from her.

"I'm proud to hear that."

"I think you're right, Toph. I think I needed that. When I return to the Fire Nation, I'll remember that." She punched his arm, a little softer than usual.

"Don't mention it."

"You can see me, if you want," he whispered, still a little against it. This surprised Toph, but she cautiously reached out towards his face. She still had that instinct that he would freak out and firebend her face to dust. Her fingers first landed on his nose, then moved over to his cheek, using one hand. She felt his eye, his eyebrow, focusing on the side without the scar first. Then she slowly glided her fingers across to his scarred eye. Hesitantly, she allowed her fingers to really observe the area. After his scar, she moved to his forehead and ended there. She didn't really know what to say after that, making Zuko sigh, expecting her to think of him a monster. Cautiously, Toph commented on her experience.

"Your face is so..." Zuko prepared himself, "Nice."

"What?" He asked loudly. Toph only shrugged.

"I'm saying the truth." Zuko scrunched his eyes at her and could not believe her statement. "Just because you have a scar doesn't mean it ruins how your whole face looks. Zuko, from what I can tell, you're good looking." Zuko definitely was not expecting that, especially not from Toph, making him blush in the slightest. He was still at a loss for words until he could finally manage something.

"How many faces have you felt?"

"Many," she remarked. "Katara, Aang, Sokka, Yun, my parents, Suki, Smellerbee, Longshot-..."

"Okay, I get it."

"The list goes on," she assured him. Zuko didn't want to continue the conversation. Toph laughed at his silence and slapped him on the back. "Not expecting that, were you, Fire Lady?" Zuko sighed, defeated.


	7. Chapter 7

The night ended with Toph antics and reminiscing. After that, Zuko spent the night in her guest bedroom. When he awoke in the morning he entered the kitchen to see Yun preparing breakfast and Toph shape-shifting her space rock bracelet.

"How did you sleep, Fire Lady?" Toph asked without looking up.

"Surprisingly good," he admitted. Finally, Toph looked up and gave a warm smile to him.

"Glad to hear that, Zuko." He sat down next to her and observed her bending.

"What's that?"

"It's a space rock from a meteor that fell near us. Sokka gave it to me." He observed some more before Yun placed down three plates, one for each of them.

"Thank you," Zuko acknowledged and looked over at Toph who was happily digging into her food.

"So how's Sokka anyways?" She asked through a mouthful of food. He cringed at the sight but responded.

"I don't know, I haven't really kept in touch. I thought you would have known."

"No, I haven't really talked to Snoozles in awhile. I figure he's getting hitched to Suki soon."

"Aang is thinking about proposing."

"To Snoozles? I'm so proud of them!"

"...No. To Katara."

"Yeah, I know," Toph chuckled. "Man I miss them." Zuko nodded and continued to eat his food.

That afternoon Toph entertained Zuko some more by taking him through Ba Sing Se, where she resided. But showing around wasn't necessarily what she had in mind that afternoon. Soon, the day was over and it was close to midnight.

"Wait, I have one more place to show you," Toph said.

"Toph, I'm tired. Can we go tomorrow?" Zuko complained.

"No, Princess! We have to go now!" Toph pulled him by the arm and they started dodging people's sight and venturing through the shadows.

"Toph, what are you doing?" Zuko asked as they stopped behind a closed shop and as she squirmed her way through the shop's window. There was hardly anybody in the streets anymore, and Zuko was getting the idea that she had pulled him into a breaking and entering.

"Just come in here!" She said through the other side, smiling.

"I can't do this, if I get caught... I'm the Fire Lord!"

"Shhhhh! Don't let anyone here you! Where's the Zuko I remember? Don't be such a scaredy-cat." Zuko glared at her and let Toph's influence take over. He squirmed his way inside, head first, and dropped on the floor. "Wow, you really haven't done this in a while, huh?" He brushed himself off and stood next to her in the dark.

"Where are we?" He whispered.

"I know how to spend a date, huh?" Toph remarked, quite loudly. Zuko dismissed the comment about the date.

"Don't be so loud."

"Oh don't worry, Sunshine." She fumbled in the dark before she found the light switch. "Ta-da!" Toph outstretched her hands.

"Is this..."

"Yup! I ordered Earth King Kuei to keep the store and not let anyone change it."

"The Jasmine Dragon." Toph smiled triumphantly. He couldn't believe his eyes. He walked through the shop, almost in a daze. "It's all here. Everything's the same." Zuko laughed sorrowfully and turned back towards Toph. "I feel like he might come out from the corner and say 'Zuko, where have you been?'." He said, trying his best to imitate his uncle's voice.

"I knew I had to take you here before you left. Especially when you told me about how lonely you feel at the palace without him there." Zuko was more than grateful. He strode over to Toph and trapped her in a hug this time. "Oof!"

"Thank you, Toph. You don't know how much this means to me."

"No problem... Sunshine!" She tried to say despite the lack of air flow from his hug. He released her and walked around the shop again.

"I wish I could just stay here."

"Well, Princess, as long as I'm still alive, it'll still be here waiting for you." Toph furrowed her brows and confessed, "I mean... I actually have a key to this place, I just thought it would be more fun if we broke in." Zuko couldn't hold his emotions, not after all the grief he'd felt at the palace.

"I'm so happy... I could-I could almost kiss you!" He said without thinking, catching Toph by surprise.

"Uh, well...-" Toph stammered.

"I was sure it wasn't here anymore! I thought someone else took it and changed everything, but it's all here!"

"Yeah... it is."

"I felt at home here when Uncle and I were refugees for awhile. I was happy." Toph smiled.

"Are you happy now?" He turned to her again, smiling more than Toph had ever seen him smile before.

"Toph, you're crazy."

"Well, I have been known to stir up some trouble," Toph said, proud of herself.

"No, you're crazy," he said, approaching her more. "You're really crazy! You broke into my Uncle's tea shop! You kept it here, with no one running it. You're absolutely crazy." Zuko was face to face to her now, making her feel a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, well, you don't have to thank me," she said modestly, for once, while her cheeks began to turn pink.

"Yes, Toph, I'm happy. Thank you." He hugged her again, this time not so tight. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Your heart is beating really fast." Toph's face was quickly taken over with pink.

"Uh, just, you know, the rush of breaking in," she said, laughing awkwardly. Zuko paid no attention and sat down on one of the seats.

"I wish I could open The Jasmine Dragon again. It's my fault Uncle left. I told him I needed him there with me at the palace, I told him I couldn't do it a lone. So he left. I should have made him stay." Toph sat down next to him.

"Don't blame yourself. I'm sure Iroh was happy to be there for you. He loved you more than he loved The Jasmine Dragon." Zuko smiled again.

"I wish I could run it," he repeated.

"Well, I would do it for you, but I don't know the first thing about making tea."

"Yeah, I'm not so good at it, either," Zuko admitted.

"Trust me, Zuko, I know."

"Thank you, Toph, again. Really." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and stared out at the shop, reminiscing to himself.


	8. Chapter 8

Toph and Zuko were walking slowly back to Toph's home.

"I don't want to go back to the palace," Zuko confesses. "Does that make me a bad Fire Lord?"

"No," Toph answered certain.

"I just left. I left everything."

"Yeah, and you didn't even give me a warning," Toph chuckled. "You half near killed Yun. Then who would I have to keep me company?"

"I would love to stay." Toph didn't know how to respond to that. "Toph, I had you all wrong."

"Huh?"

"You were right. I used to think you were defenseless, even if you tried proving it to everyone else that you weren't. I still thought you were, secretly. But now I realize that I was wrong. You can take care of yourself. Especially now. You're all grown up, and you don't need anyone's help."

"It's about time you realized that," Toph smiled. "I was worrying that you weren't coming around."

"I wish I'd gotten to know you better." He said while staring out to the street.

"What?"

"Before I became Fire Lord. You would have helped eased my pain, I think."

"Oh... Well, I'm honored, Fire Lady Zuko."

"I'm glad I came," he finally looked over at Toph and smiled at her, although he knew she could not acknowledge it.

"When are you leaving?" She asked, finally.

"I don't know. I can't stay too long. I have duties at the Fire Nation. I don't want to, but it's my responsibility." They walked on in silence for awhile. "You could come with me." He said, quietly.

"Wait, what?" Toph stopped in her tracks.

"Only if you want. I could have a bedroom set up for you, and you can stay for awhile."

"Woah, Zuko."

"I know, I'm sorry. I think I was just still happy about The Jasmine Dragon. I'm sorry," he began walking again, but Toph did not follow.

"Zuko, we don't know each other very well." Zuko stopped and turned to her again.

"I know, I'm sorry if I scared you."

"No, I mean. We don't know each other very well. I tried to know you before but you shut me out. You didn't think I was worth it because you thought I was lesser than everyone else. Because I was small, because I'm blind."

"I know, I'm sorry-."

"No, let me speak. And then you tell me that you realize that you shouldn't have done that and you wish you would've known me before. Because you think you could have needed me, and I could have helped."

"Yeah-."

"And then you invite me to stay with you. Why?"

"I just... everything has been so crazy lately, I just need someone I can depend on to not go crazy."

"You think I wouldn't go crazy at the palace?"

"I don't know... I was hoping you wouldn't." He said sheepishly.

"You're damn right."

"What?" He looked her square in the eyes for a moment, but briefly averted them.

"I wouldn't go crazy. I can assure you. Why? Because I'm stubborn as hell. More stubborn than you."

"I didn't expect this when I came. I didn't believe I could get away from my hectic life. I thought I would be just as uptight here as I would be there."

"Did you have fun?" She asked, a small smile appearing from a corner of her mouth.

"Yes, I did." He thought for awhile before continuing. "But Toph, I change. At the palace I mean, I turn into a different person. I'm angrier, all the time."

"But if I was there, would that change?"

"I don't know." Toph stood for a moment longer, then walked over closer to him.

"_You're_ crazy." He laughed.

"I'm sorry, again."

"What if I said yes?" She asked as they started walking again, the sun starting to peek up.

"I would have been happy."

"Why?"

"Because... It's easy to get distracted with you." He admitted. Toph slipped her arm around Zuko's and yawned.

"I wish I could've known you too, Zuko. I'm tired."

"We're almost home," he answered. _We're almost to _my _home_, Toph thought, but didn't mind the alternative.

Once they'd arrived, Toph landed on the floor carelessly.

"Toph?" Zuko asked through tired, squinted eyes.

"Carry me," she muffled. With a sigh, Zuko carried the half-asleep girl over to her room. He laid her down on her bed and sat down, for what he told himself would only be a minute. Two yawns later, Zuko found himself sound asleep next to the not-so small earthbending girl.

A rush of sunlight entered the room and woke Zuko up. The culprit was Yun. She was opening the blinds to Toph's room, not allowing him to sleep like a bear. Confused, he sat up, looked around, and realized he'd passed out next to Toph.

"Good morning," Yun greeted with a warm smile. "Breakfast?"

"Uh... no, thanks." Yun left the room after his answer. Toph was still sound asleep, sleeping on her stomach and her face smothered in her pillow. "Toph," Zuko shook her but was given no response. "Toph, wake up," he shook her harder. "Toph.-"

"No." Zuko was quickly pelted in the face by the pillow Toph had been smothering herself with. Irritated, Zuko gave up.

"Fine," he said as he furiously laid back down. Realizing his defeat, Toph snickered, encouraging Zuko even further. He slammed the pillow she had thrown at him on her back.

"Hey!" She finally looked up, Zuko half-wishing he hadn't done that. She looked like a mess. With a pout, she shoved him nearly off the bed, an inch of his body still clinging to the edge. He pulled himself up, though, and decided not to kick her off, for fear of fully awakening the beast.

"You shouldn't be so grumpy when you wake up."

"Oh, and I bet you're such an angel when someone wakes you up." He was about to retaliate, but realized he too was a savage thing whenever he'd gotten too little rest.

"Well, you still need to get up."

"Why?"

"Because it's past morning." Toph snorted.

"So?" Zuko thought this over. In the palace, he always had to wake early in the morning to get to important things. For a couple years now, he hadn't truly slept in.

"You have things to do?" He half stated, half asked.

"Nuh uh. This is the Toph life. Staying up late, sleeping in late," she said as she rolled over on her back. "You should get used to it, Hothead." He hadn't heard that nickname in a while. He was really tired. Succumbing to the idea, he dozed off once more.

"Fire Lord Zuko!"

"Huh?" Zuko jerked up out of the bed and heard muffled laughing. "What? Toph!" He glared down at Toph, who was still lying in bed.

"I'm just kidding, I'm sorry, I had to!" She said in between laughter. She stretched out her arm and pulled onto his shirt, making him fall back onto the bed. "Go back to sleep."

"I'll get you back for that."

"Oooh, I'm so scared."

"Hmph," he rolled on his side, away from the girl. He silently pushed her with his leg, catching her a little off guard, but the two quietly decided to continue the fight later, as they were too tired for any revenge.


	9. Chapter 9

Toph outstretched her arms and rubbed her eyes. Remembering that Zuko had spent the morning with her, she began patting around the bed. The bed was barren of any other person.

"Fire Lady?" She asked. No response. "Zuko?" Hearing no sign of him, she got off her bed and went to investigate. "Zuko?" She couldn't sense him anywhere. She stepped out to her backyard, finally hearing the pulse of his heartbeat under her feet. She walked over and sat down next to him. "What are you doing?"

"Thinking." There was a small pause. "You've been asleep for a long time."

"Oh." Zuko nodded, staring up at the sky. "How long?"

"A couple of hours. Mai... Since I left the palace so quickly, I didn't really get a chance to say goodbye to some people and... Mai came."

"What?" Toph asked, bewildered. "Where is she?"

"She left. She left around an hour ago."

"...What happened?"

"We got into an argument. She said this was twice now that I left without saying goodbye." He recalled Mai's anger. She said she couldn't believe him. She couldn't believe that he up and left their home without a notice. She couldn't believe that she had to find out through their servants that he left her to go be with another woman, without even asking if she was comfortable with it. Mai told him one last thing. 'I told you not to leave me.' She left, packed her things from the palace, and was gone. Nothing Zuko said to her helped. He couldn't tell Toph all of this, though.

"Oh... I'm sorry."

"It's fine. She wanted to leave, so I let her leave."

"Weren't you two in love, though?" Toph asked, confused. "You were going to have little grumpy Zuko and Mai babies that hated everything."

"We _were_ in love... She's just so...," he grunted. "So... Angry all the time! She doesn't enjoy anything! How can I find peace at the palace when I'm being confronted with negative meetings then go back to a negative, uninterested, pessimistic girlfriend? If I ever try talking to her about some serious things she yawns and says 'Are you done, Zuko?'. Like all I want to hear about is her complaining about her boring day! It's done. I don't care."

"Of course you care."

"No, I don't." Without warning, Toph punched him in the gut. "What was that for?" He shouted.

"Stop trying to be so tough. I know when you're lying, remember?"

"You didn't have to punch me!"

"I did it because I care, Zuko." He rubbed the area she'd attacked.

"I don't love her anymore. I haven't for awhile." He stated. Toph gently bumped his shoulder with her elbow.

"It'll be okay, Princess. Your knight in shining armor will come," she grinned, sensing his muscles losing tension. "You've just got to loosen up, forget about it for awhile." Zuko sighed. "You did say I'm a good distraction," she remembered proudly.

"How could you distract me from this?" She grabbed onto his hand, pulled him up, and started running. "Where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

They arrived at a street full of vendors who were screaming out their products and why you need it.

"You brought me to the market?" Zuko asked, a little disappointed.

"You need a souvenir before you leave to the Fire Nation so you can remember how much fun we had," Toph shot him a very wide, cheesy grin, but quickly stopped and continued walking. After awhile, Zuko realized she had not let go of his hand. He was not bothered, and started looking around at the available merchandise.

"They have a lot of Aang merchandise here," he noted.

"Oh, really? Like what?" Her voice rose a little, showing her obvious interest.

"Dolls, posters, t-shirts-."

"I have to buy one for Twinkle Toes," she fished at one of the stands. "What's this?"

"That's an Appa," Zuko chuckled.

"Sweet! I'll take this one."

"Toph, I don't really want anything from here."

"I'll find something..." They spent an hour or two digging through stands, but in the end, found nothing that really caught their interest. They went back to The Jasmine Dragon, using the door this time, to relax. Toph was very disappointed at the lack of her success. "I can't believe I couldn't find you anything," she pouted.

"It's okay. You let me see The Jasmine Dragon again. That's enough." He hoped he could comfort her, despite not knowing how to. "I'm leaving tomorrow."

"What?" Toph sat up from her slouch.

"I have to leave tomorrow, I can't stay longer. The Fire Nation needs me."

"Can't you... I don't know, do that stuff here?" Zuko looked over to her and saw her face had dropped. He hated to disappoint her. "We were having so much fun here."

"I know, but I'm-."

"Fire Lord, I know." She wiggled her toes. "I wish you didn't have to leave. It's going to be lonely again."

"Maybe I can come back later-." Toph slowly hugged him.

"No, you won't. You'll forget."

"...Is that why you wanted to buy me the souvenir? So I wouldn't forget?" He couldn't help but feel her hair, which was in a bun now, as it always was. She said nothing. "Toph, I won't forget."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

"You're nice to have around, Zuko. I never knew we'd get along so well. You always seemed so... hotheaded." Zuko laughed.

"I am hotheaded."

"Yeah, but you're more than that, too." Her heartbeat started to pick up a little. "You're...such... a good friend."

"You're a good friend, too. Thank you, for everything." She was reluctant to say that she actually was beginning to like him as more than a friend, more than a good friend as well.

"I really wanted to talk to you when were traveling. I thought we could connect really easily. But you shot me down."

"I'm sorry." He started playing with her hair subconsciously. He was fascinated at how thick and nice it felt. Mai's hair was so much thinner.

"Fire Lord Zuko?" He looked at her, surprised at the formality.

"Lady Toph?" He responded. Toph's brows furrowed.

"Don't call me that. I hate that." Zuko smiled and realized he now had something to get her back with. "You always thought I was a defenseless little girl, right?" He gulped and was afraid that this was some sort of trick to allow her to abuse him again.

"Yes?"

"What do you think of me now?" He was unprepared for that question. He didn't think Toph would ever-ever ask such a question. Toph always seemed confident. She'd even told him once that she didn't care how others saw her. So, he assumed she really wanted to hear the truth from him. Why, though, he had no idea.


	10. Chapter 10

"Well, you're a little annoying at first." Toph furrowed her brows and regretted even asking. Just as when he described fire to her, she waited for him to collect his thoughts before she let him have it for calling her annoying. "But you're not. You're just... different. I needed to get used to you. And you're strong. Very strong," he said while rubbing his bruise. "You can definitely take care of yourself. You don't let things bring you down. I respect you." Toph smiled to this.

"Good."

"Did I pass the test?"

"Yes, you did," Toph laughed. "You had me a little worried at the beginning, though."

"You wanted the truth didn't you?"

"Yeah, okay, Fire Lady... I think you're pretty great too, Zuko."

"Thanks."

"Maybe I'll visit the palace every now and then."

"You sure?"

"Why not?" She chimed. "I think it needs more than a little sunshine. Palace, get ready to meet Toph," she said while cracking her knuckles. Zuko gulped and wondered if it was a good idea after all. It would be an interesting turn of events, though. "Plus, I don't think I've ever really... been inside the Fire Nation Palace."

"I'll give you a tour," he offered.

"That would be nice." They stayed in silence for a moment, trying to take the moment in. Toph knew she didn't want to say goodbye, not yet, but she couldn't go to the palace with him as well. She just wanted him to stay, just a little longer. "Hey, Zuko," she said while mustering up all her courage. "There's something I... Before you leave... I want to..."

"What is it?" He asked as he was growing impatient.

"Give me a minute!" Her cheeks started growing a little pink and she took a deep breath. _Come on, Toph, don't be such a wuss. You're the Blind Bandit, how can you not do this? I can't do this. Yes, I can! I am Toph Bei Fong, I can bend metal, I can do this!_ "I just wanted to..." She took action before she chickened out some more, and did what she wanted to do. To his surprise, and without warning, she leaned in closer and kissed him. He responded by kissing her back, but soon enough drew her away.

"What...?" He asked, too surprised for words.

"I just wanted to do that... before you left." Now, more than ever, Toph was glad she could not see the expression on his face.

"...," Toph was growing nervous with his silence. "That was... a really good souvenir," he said while laughing nervously. She took a breath of relief and leaned in and kissed him once again. They stayed like that for awhile, embracing each other. Zuko's leave was gone from their minds for awhile.

* * *

They were walking back to Toph's home and, once they'd arrived, they sat in Toph's garden and talked while the moonlight peeked out at them. They talked about their families, this time without interruption, and what they're lives were like before and after the great Avatar journey. There was spouts of threats that one's bending was better than the other, but it was all in a teasing nature. Zuko told her about the turtle ducks he and his mother used to feed, how his sister used to torment him, and the long days he'd spent searching the Avatar before finally seeing the Avatar was only a child. Toph told him about the badgermoles she'd visit and how they'd teach her earthbending, sneaking out of her parents house and becoming The Blind Bandit, and how Aang had beaten her in an arena. They talked until their eyes grew too heavy, and that's when they stood and went back into the house. They reached the point where their paths branched off.

"Goodnight, Toph," Zuko said while standing in the direction of his room and Toph standing in the direction of hers.

"Goodnight." They stood there for another minute, then Zuko was on his way. But before he could walk 5 steps, Toph reached out to his arm and pulled him in the room with her. He was confused, but obliged. "We've already spent the night together," Toph tried to justify. Zuko had no argument. Together, they laid down comfortably on Toph's bed.

"Goodnight, Toph," Zuko repeated.

"Goodnight, Zuko," she said again, this time with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

The next morning Toph awoke without Zuko beside her. Fearing he'd left already without even saying goodbye, Toph immediately searched Yun out.

"Lady Toph, are you okay?" Yun asked in a very concerned tone.

"Where's Zuko? Did he leave already?"

"Yes-." Toph cursed under her breath. "He packed up his things and left to The Jasmine Dragon."

"What?" She asked, expecting to hear that he'd gone to The Fire Nation, _not_ to a tea shop.

"He told me that when you awaken, to tell you to meet him there."

"Oh... Okay?" Confused, but glad, Toph sped off to the tea shop. When she arrived, she found that the front door was locked. She knocked repeatedly, but nobody answered. So, she resorted to using the breaking in method she used earlier. "Stupid Zuko. Locking the front door open and not letting me in," she mumbled as she scrambled inside through the open window. "Zuko?" There was no response. "Zuko, get your butt out here." Toph began to worry that this was all some trick created by Yun to get her back for all the times she'd torment her and that Zuko had, in fact, gone back to The Fire Nation. As Toph carefully walked, she stumbled and tripped over something she had not sensed. They were suitcases on a carpeted area. "Ow!" She held onto her throbbing toe and did not pay attention when Zuko walked into the room.

"You should have watched where you're going," Zuko teased.

"Zuko!" She stared angrily at the direction of his voice. "Haven't you injured my feet enough?" He laughed and sat down next to her. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I wanted to come here one last time."

"Oh," Toph huffed a piece of her hair, that was tickling her nose, away. "You shouldn't set up traps like that."

"Sorry about that. Tea?" He had brought two cups of tea in with him, but she was too busy with the pain to have noticed the aroma before. Zuko was not the greatest tea maker nor did he inherit his uncle's magnificent tea skills, and Toph clearly knew this. Scared for the spit-inducing tea he usually makes, Toph reluctantly obliged. It was, anyway, his last day there.

"Sure." He handed her the tea and she pinched her nostrils before taking a sip. "Hey, this isn't as bad as it usually is." Zuko smiled. "Did you do some magic trick or something?"

"No, I tried something new."

"What?" Toph asked suspiciously.

"I didn't poison your tea." He replied bluntly. "Listen, Toph, I wanted to say sorry for the way I treated you before. I want to say thank you at the same time for not giving up on me and taking me in without me notifying you that I was coming."

"No problem, Princess. It was my pleasure," she said, smiling.

"And also... thank you... for this," he kissed her quickly, unsure if it'd actually meant anything to her the night before. "You really helped me here. I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too, Zuko." She hugged him, and he hugged her back. It was strange hugging her. He remembered her once small stature, and now, she was nearly as tall as him. She wasn't helpless. Not then, in her taller state, and not before, in her shorter days. She was just as strong, stronger even, as before. "And Zuko-."

"Yeah?"

"Make sure to keep in touch."

"I'll send a messenger hawk with a present for you every month," he assured.

"Good," she said, smiling and reassured. "And I'll give you something back." She wiggled her toes and contemplated before deciding she would kiss him, and she did. Zuko didn't pull back this time, so they kissed for awhile, enjoying the last moments they had together. Finally, Zuko did in fact pull away.

"I need to meet with my guards so we can leave."

"Okay-." Toph stood, preparing to leave, but was stopped.

"I think it's best if I go alone from here." Hurt, Toph questioned him.

"Why?"

"They don't know about this... besides, I don't want crazy rumors to start. Toph, I don't want to." Not reassured enough, she took her stance, and hid the hurt inside her.

"Are you ashamed of me?"

"No-."

"I thought you saw me differently now-."

"I do, Toph. This is just best. If you went with me I think I might consider kidnapping you to go with me," he laughed. "This is a more personal goodbye than it would be in front of all my guards." She did agree with that last part.

"Okay, Zuko. Go be Fire Lady again." Zuko hugged her.

"I'm really going to miss you, Toph." Toph hugged him tight and mentally cursed at herself for letting a tear escape from her. They kissed again, longer this time, and regretted letting go, when they did let go. "Goodbye, Blind Bandit."

"Goodbye, Fire Lord Zuko." He released her from his arms and took one last look at her, then turned, placed the keys of The Jasmine Dragon she had given him on a table, and walked out. Toph stood there, unsure what to do with herself. She walked to the table and grabbed the keys, feeling the warmth that was Zuko.

A/N: I won't be updating in around 4 days or so because I'm leaving on vacation soon. The story is not over yet, folks.


	12. Chapter 12

A year had gone by, but it all felt like centuries. The world was progressing very quickly and inventors were popping from nowhere and claiming their new inventions. The blueprints of the United Republic of Nations, a nation both Aang and Zuko had agreed upon, was beginning. It would change their world and bring peace to all nations, or so they devised, but would not begin construction for a couple more years. Months passed through blistering hot summers and chilly winters, but spring was starting to roll around finally, bringing in fresh days.

The promised messenger hawk arrived at Toph's door, set it down next to her mailbox, and flew off. A couple minutes later, Toph opened the door, outstretched her arms, and found the letter addressed to her. She took it inside where her roommate, Yun was sitting.

"I don't know why Fire Lord Zuko still sends you messenger hawks. What about that new thing that Lee fellow made? The Messenger Express I think he called? What about that?" Yun asked. She had became less and less uptight near Toph over the last couple of months.

"We promised we would send each other messenger hawks, and he's really insisting he keeps his promise. Read this for me," she handed her the letter Zuko sent with the present.

"What a shame. The Messenger Express has people deliver your messages, it's a lot faster than hawks."

"Could you just read it already, Yun? Sheesh." Toph examined the present with her pale fingers.

"Dear Toph, I hope you appreciate the gift I've sent you. I put a lot of thought into it, and can only hope you are happy about it. You're free to share one with Yun if you want."

"They're just more pieces of paper!" Toph declared and handed to Yun.

"Oh, Toph! These aren't just pieces of paper!"

"Hm?" Toph asked while sitting down and kicking her feet up.

"These are tickets to a ship going to the Fire Nation!"

"What?" Toph sat upright in utter shock.

"Yes, there's two tickets! They're scheduled for a week from now."

"You've got to be kidding me," Toph asked, still soaking in the surprise. "What's he thinking?"

"You don't want to see him?"

"..." She took a minute to think it over before responding. "I do want to see him."

"Then what's the problem?" Yun was growing impatient with Toph's reactions because she wanted to go to the Fire Nation, as she was adamant in the belief of true love.

"It's The Fire Nation! I belong here, in The Earth Kingdom!"

"I didn't finish reading. 'I need you to inspire me with the whole peace making. I'm sure you can help out with that. Love, Zuko.'." Toph snorted in response.

"Zu-zu's sarcasm still amuses me."

"You're the same."

"I know," Toph proudly stated. She picked at her feet before continuing. "I should go."

"Yes!"

"Just because he needs help. He becomes a mess when he's in trouble, and he needs me to straighten him out. Just like with Twinkle Toes when he couldn't get earthbending right. I'm just going because he needs me. That's all."

"Mhm," Yun replied with a sly smile.

"Yeah, and you can come if you want. You know, whatever." Toph added, pretending to be disinterested in the whole event.

"I'd love to. I haven't seen Fire Lord Zuko in so long."

"Yeah, I know, me either," Toph replied. Yun silenced herself and went off to do laundry. "Oh, Fire Lady, what were you thinking?" Toph spoke to herself. She slid in her seat until she could not any longer without falling off.

* * *

The week had passed and they were headed off to the monorail, which would leave them to the ship transporting them to The Fire Nation. Toph awaited in the ship, once they'd arrived, and held onto the railing.

"I hate ships," she murmered.

"Lighten up, this is great!" Yun declared.

"Flying and sailing don't really cut it for me, Yun," Toph stated as she turned to the direction of her friend and pointed at her feet. "Or ice," she added with a grunt.

"Well, at least you'll be meeting Fire Lord Zuko again."

"I guess so... he better be happy I decided to come." Toph folded her arms and planted her feet strong so she wouldn't be swayed by the ship's rocking motion.

"Of course he will, Lady Toph."

* * *

Toph and Yun stepped off the ship, Toph carrying her own luggage while a man helped Yun with hers.

"Would you like me to carry your bags, Ms. Bei Fong?" The man asked.

"No, thanks, I can take care of myself. Isn't that right, Zu-zu?" She replied, sensing Zuko standing in front of her, and let a smirk escape her.

"That's absolutely right-," he too was smiling.

"But since I'm your guest," Toph added while flinging her luggage at Zuko. "You should be the one to carry it for me." Zuko only barely managed to catch the flying luggage and sighed in relief when nothing fell out. Toph, Yun, and the man all walked past him. "Thanks, Fire Lady," Toph said as she passed, earning a grunt from Zuko.

Once they'd reached the palace, Zuko took it upon himself to show them to their rooms. They first arrived to Yun's quarters.

"Oh, how lovely! Thank you, Fire Lord Zuko. I think I'll rest for a little after that long ship ride." She bowed respectively to him and closed the door to her room.

"Great, so where's my room?" Toph asked. They began towards her room. Before she completely went inside and rested up herself, she turned to him. "Thank you, Zuko," she said in a more sincere tone.

"I missed you," he cautiously said. It had been around a year since they'd seen eachother. Their only communication was the presents they'd give each other every now and then. Instead of punching him, which is what Zuko sincerely thought she would do, she replied with a smile.

"Come on, Zuko, don't be so soft." She paused. "I missed you, too."

"I wasn't sure if I did the right thing giving you those tickets when I sent them to you," he added a small, nervous chuckle. "I thought you'd send them back to me."

"I'm not that harsh, Fire Lady," she scrunched up her nose. "Besides, I'm only here because you said you needed help getting straightened out."  
Zuko laughed.

"I knew that would get you come," this earned a punch from Toph. "Ow."

"Hmph."

"Toph, I'm glad you came." She nodded.

"Don't make me regret this, Fire Flakes."

"That's a new one."

"I was thinking it up on the way here," she proudly stated with a smile.

"Can I hug you or will I be assaulted again?"

"...Only for a minute or there might be some trouble." He smiled and hugged her, longer than she advised, partly to test her and partly because it was long overdue.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Thank you so very much to the people who have been reviewing and giving me feedback, it all helps!

Zuko's head was pounding. He sat in the meeting room, alone. He did, though, have the company of dozens of papers strewed about in the table in front of him. He was given a daunting task to go through each and every one of them and make his definite decision on each complication. He rubbed his temples with his fingers and exasperatedly put his head down, buried beneath his arms, in defeat. Without his noticing, Toph silently entered the room.

"I can't do this," he spoke to himself.

"Sure you can!" Not in the mood for being surprised, Zuko peeked an eye out from within his arms.

"Not now, Toph. I'm in the middle of something important." He grumbled.

"Maybe I can help."

"I doubt that." He picked himself up in the chair and continued his reading, trying not to show the frustration he previously had.

"Now did you or did you not invite me here to straighten you out?" Toph retorted with her hands on her hips. Zuko sighed and took a look over at her. She definitely seemed to try to make herself presentable that day, he noticed.

"You look nice today," he commented. He hoped she would just take the compliment and shut up.

"Didn't you?" She said while leaning further toward him. Zuko took this opportunity to quickly give her a peck kiss. As quickly as he'd done it, he reverted himself back to his papers. She was stuck for a moment. It'd been a very long time since she'd felt his lips, but she realized he silently chose to pretend he never just did that. So she too continued as if it never happened. "What are all these papers about anyways?"

"Government in The Fire Nation. Things to do about prisoners, the general happiness of the civilians."

"How long do you have until they need word from you?"

"A week or two."

"You shouldn't worry so much then! Don't rush it, Fire Lady." She kicked back in her seat and lifted her feet onto the table, her arms supporting her weight at the back of her head.

"Oh, like you?" He asked, finally putting the papers down and looking over at her.

"Exactly," she said with a big grin. He looked at her for a moment before continuing.

"I can't do that. They expect a quick, decisive answer-."

"So? You're Fire Lord! You can do things the way you want to!" Her voice was beginning to raise.

"My people expect-."

"To hell with what they expect!" She straightened herself out in her seat.

"Toph, I can't just-!" He too was starting to raise his voice.

"Fire Lord Zuko," she said with an even temper.

"What!" She was starting to aggravate him, but after his burst, he regained himself. She was staring back at him with her sightless, milky eyes. Her face was straight, but showed hints of concern through the rough exterior. Zuko saw this, and it made him sit back quietly.

"Do you need to scream?" The tone of her voice surprised him. He'd never seen this side of her. She was... patient. When was Toph ever really completely patient? Especially with an aggravated person. He sighed.

"Yes. Yes, I do! I need to scream!" He cupped his face in his hands and grunted.

"Then scream! Let me hear it!" There it was. The old Toph was back. The confusion of her change, the politics, the expectations, all of it erupted out from him in the form of a loud shout. After pouring himself out through that scream, he looked from behind his cupped hands at her. She was covering her ears and flinching a bit.

"Wow." He laughed. He didn't know what else to do. He wasn't expecting to startle her. She laughed too. And then they both joined together in this big laugh at their foolishness.

* * *

He was in his meeting room, alone and accompanied with strewn papers again. His head was hurting and all the written words were starting to jumble together. For a moment, he put his papers down. He stared at the empty, quiet room for a moment longer. He turned his head to the door and stared for even longer, and walked out. He walked all the way down the corridor until he reached her room. There, he stopped, opened the door without knocking, and entered. He realized he'd rather be there than anywhere else in the palace, at that moment, and at any other given time of the day.


	14. Chapter 14

Days went by in The Fire Nation palace. Toph was getting a bit accustomed to the things there and making things there accustomed to her.

"I want to show you something," Zuko said as he sat himself down on the ground. Toph's ear quickly caught his remark and she zipped to seat herself next to him. They were outside of the palace.

"What is it?" She asked in anticipation. "Do I have to close my eyes?" She teased.

"Here," he grabbed her wrists to lead her hands towards him so he could place the object in her hand. She scrunched up her nose immediately.

"Zuko... Zuko..." She was starting to freak out a bit. "Zuko, it's moving." He laughed at her but did nothing to enlighten her. "What am I holding, Zuko!"

"It's a turtleduck." The little creature quacked. Toph laughed but was unsure what to do with it.

"It's really soft..." Zuko took her hand and placed it on the top of the turtleduck, on its shell. "Oh..." She took her time tracing her fingers over the detailed shell. "It's so cute," she admitted.

"My mother and I used to sit here by the pond and watch the turtleducks." He picked up a piece of bread he had placed next to him and started breaking little pieces to feed the turtleduck. "It's only a baby turtleduck."

"I'm afraid I might break it," she said. At first Zuko laughed at her, but once he looked up at her he saw she was being honest. Her face seemed sincerely concerned for the turtleduck's life.

"Why are you so afraid of holding it?" He put the pieces of bread down and took hold of the baby turtleduck for her. Toph stayed quiet. "Toph?"

"I'm not good with animals."

"I thought you had this weird relationship with badgermoles-."

"Yeah, but that's badgermoles. Every other animal it's... They scare me."

"What?" He asked incredulously.

"What? Lots of people are scared of animals," she tried justifying herself.

"Not really."

"Ok, fine! It's just... they're so dependent, I guess. And I can't take care of another life. I just feel like I might end up breaking it or something." She looked away, trying not to show her ashamed face.

"Feed it bread." Toph did so. Maybe she couldn't hold it, but at least she could feed it. She felt the little creature tug at the piece when she would offer the bread to it and soon warmed up to it a little. She warmed up enough that she began petting it's little fuzzy head.

"Where's it's mother?" She finally asked.

"I don't know. I found it here by itself." After thinking it over, she swallowed her fear.

"Let me hold it."

"I thought you were afraid of-."

"Just let me hold it, Princess!" He obliged at the sound of the old nickname. He was quite surprised. She awkwardly held it at first, but soon cradled it in her hands. Zuko petted the turtleduck near it's bill with his forefinger. "I like it here."

"Hm?" He looked up at her again.

"This spot is nice." Zuko smiled at her comment. He thought so, too. "Thanks for showing me here. And for showing me this little furry guy," she smiled down at the turtle duck that quacked again. "... I would punch you right now, but my hands are busy."

"Thank you," Zuko said to the turtleduck. He soon regretted his decision when Toph retaliated by kicking him instead.

"You had that one coming," she laughed cheerily. She suddenly remembered the little creature she was holding. "We should set it free." Zuko nodded quietly.  
"It deserves to be free." She took his silence as an agreement and set the turtleduck down in the water. It swam away, quacking as it did so. Zuko watched the creature swim away. "Goodbye little guy." She responded at the sound of the moving water.

"I love you."

"Jeez, you can't tell it that after I let it swim away." Zuko was staring at her now. He didn't know why he'd just blurted it out, but he didn't really care at the same time. It was the truth.

"No, Toph." Quickly realizing the possibility of what he'd meant, she chose not to actually fully realize it.

"No what?" She asked timidly. He took a small breath.

"I love you." The realization of it slowly sunk down inside her.


	15. Chapter 15

"What?" She asked, very quietly.

"Toph, we've acted like we were together, we sent mail to each other consistently, we kissed, you came to The Fire Nation for me."

"No, I didn't. I came because you needed help-." He laughed.

"You're lying. I know you are." In truth, her heart was beating really quickly. But he didn't know this, he didn't have her ability. Zuko's heartbeats, though, were surprisingly even. At first his pulse was moving quite quickly, but it slowly became even, relaxed. She tried speaking, but nothing came out. "I'm sorry. Forget I said anything," he said after her silence. He was disappointed, she could tell. But what did he expect from her, she couldn't even move. He grabbed the leftover pieces of bread and chucked them at the water.

"Zuko, I-."

"It's okay. It's my fault I said anything." He couldn't look at her anymore.

"No, Zuko! I... just give me a minute..." She took a deep breath, then chucked dirt at him.

"Hey! Oof!" She earthbended a part of the earth out and chucked it at him as well. He was sent to the ground in pain. Toph crawled over to him, and while he was writhing in pain, she kissed him. This silenced his grunts of pain, and instead, he placed his hand on her cheek and gratefully kissed her back. They stayed like that for awhile until Toph set him free. Zuko suddenly became aware of the pain again. Toph laughed at him and helped him up.

"Sorry about that, Hothead, my affection can be deadly." He smiled while touching his newly forming bruise.

"Don't do that again," he taunted, making her stick her tongue out at him.

* * *

They walked back inside and sat next to a fireplace. Toph warmed herself up as the night was getting chilly. Zuko looked at her until she could feel a pair of eyes staring at her, making her turn her head towards him. "I love you, Toph," he tried again. She smiled with her perfect lips, the light of the fire brightening her complexion, giving warmth to her milky green eyes. It made her glow, made her shine in a new light.

"I love you, too, Zuko."

* * *

A/N: I might continue this story if people ask for it, but for now: the end.


	16. Chapter 16

"I hate you." Toph remarked. "I really hate you, you know that Fire Lady?"

"Calm down, Toph."

"Nope. I'm not going to calm down-HEY! Not there..." she began bursting in little giggles. "That's a really... sensitive area!" She said through bursts of mad laughter. Zuko chuckled. He was supposed to be massaging her feet after an intense sparring match but found his way to the crevices of her toes, which were apparently very sensitive. "Stop it!" She warned in between laughter. Zuko ignored the warning until his face met Toph's other foot. "Stop it, Zuko!" He was thrown on his back as the girl had had enough. He grunted in pain. "Oops," Toph giggled as she crawled over to him. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked uncertainly. Zuko did not reply and instead kept grunting in pain, exaggerating a bit, admittedly. "Zuko? Zuko? Are you alright?" She began asking a little more concerned. Zuko took this opportunity to catch her off guard and pinned her down to continue his torturing ways. Toph uncontrollably laughed until he released her, both of them lying down on the ground tiredly. "Did I mention I hate you?" Toph asked.

"You might have mentioned it," he smirked. "So are you still angry about losing?" Toph had lost the sparring match. Trying to lighten her up, Zuko offered to massage her feet, when one thing led to another and Zuko had found her weakness.

"I don't know what you're talking about Fire Lady," she pouted. "I won."

"No you didn't." He'd grown confident enough to say things like that to her, no longer afraid. "I won," he said while turning his head to look at her. She was being childish again. "I'll do it again, Toph," he warned. Her face became straight at the thought.

"I can take whatever you've got, Zuko."

"You sure?" He said while pretending to try to pin her down again.

"No, no, okay, I'm sorry!" He laughed, shocked at her defeat. "I'm starting to regret staying, Zuko. I might just leave, you know-if you do that again." Toph had stayed for months in the palace with him and only Yun had gone back to the Earth Kingdom. He lied back down on the ground, listening. "I won't put up with it. I'm of royal blood, you know," she teased.

"Royal blood, you say?"

"Mhm." She stretched while still lying on the warm earth. Zuko stood up and offered his hand to her.

"I'll help you up." She searched for his hand until he took hers and pulled her up. Immediately after doing so, though, Toph felt his knee hit the ground again.

"What are you doing?" She furrowed her brows. "Are you going to try to tackle me or something?"

"I want you to stay." Toph laughed.

"I was just kidding, Fire Lady. I haven't even scheduled when I'm going to leave yet. Why are you on the ground?"

"Toph."

"Zuko? What are you doing, get up."

"Could you be quiet for a minute?" She crossed her arms and pouted. He took a deep breath and thought to himself. _Come on, Zuko. You're the Fire Lord. 'Don't be afraid of a small earth bending girl.' _He chuckled silently to himself, took another long breath, then continued. "Will you marry me?" Quickly, her discontented face disappeared, replaced by shock.

"What now?"

"I want you to stay."

"What now?" She repeated.

"Do you remember when I told you that I change here? That I'm always angry and Mai never helped? You're not like that. Toph, I want you to stay."  
She had no words, she felt like they were all punched out of her. "Do you want to stay?"

"Yeah."

"Then will you marry me?"

"But you're Zuko-."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're the Fire Lord-."

"So?"

"And I'm just Toph."

"I love you." Toph was insecure about herself. Never had she viewed Zuko as a royal figure, he was just Zuko. Never had she felt like a lower person than him, until now. "I thought you loved me, too."

"I do love you." He took her hands. Her hands were not long like Mai's, rather, they were small, a bit coarse even. But he loved that. They were hands of dedication.

"Toph..." She shifted her feet's position. "Will you marry me?" His tone of voice assured Toph this was the last time he'd ask and if she did not have a decisive answer this time, he would not ask again.

"For the record, I won the sparring match-." Zuko sighed. "I just want to get that clear and straightened out before I become Fire Lady." He smiled, satisfied of her answer. He stood and hugged her, glad of not having to let her go again. "Geez... how's the gaang going to react to this?" Zuko laughed, unsure of how to tell them the news. Nobody had known about any of this.

"I guess... we'll slowly let them know." Toph smiled at him.

"Aang wants me to be the Chief of Police at that place." Zuko had been informed by Aang about this earlier on.

"You'd definitely straighten out a lot of criminals." She laughed. "I love how you have a way of doing that."

"You're damn right I do!" She kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I'd make a good Fire Lady, too." Zuko smiled.

"I know you will."


End file.
